FAU, Partridge agree to five-year, $2.76 million contract

FAU and Arkansas assistant coach Charlie Partridge have agreed to a $2.76 million contract that will make Partridge FAU's head football coach for the next five years.

The deal will be competed before Tuesday's 11:30 a.m. press conference at FAU Stadium, where Partridge will be formally introduced. Sources close to the FAU football program told the Sun Sentinel that Partridge had accepted an offer to become FAU's next head coach Saturday.

Partridge, 40, coached at Wisconsin for five years before moving to Arkansas last season. He is a Plantation native who has built a strong reputation for recruiting South Florida players.

Partridge will take over for Carl Pelini, who resigned on Oct. 30, along with defensive coordinator Pete Rekstis, amid allegations of drug use. Pelini would later rescind his letter of resignation and FAU fired him with cause on Nov. 26.

Offensive coordinator Brian Wright was named interim head coach after Pelini resigned. Under Wright, FAU went 4-0 and became bowl eligible for the first time since 2008, though the Owls were not selected to play in a bowl game.

FAU athletic director Pat Chun maintained that Wright was a viable candidate for the full-time head coaching job, despite never being a head coach at any level before Oct. 30. On Nov. 11, Wright was informed by Chun that he would not be retained as the team's head coach.

FAU's assistant coaches were told earlier this month that their contracts would be terminated after 60 days, and that regardless of who was hired as the next head coach, they would be given an opportunity to interview for jobs on his staff. Those interviews are expected to happen on Wednesday.